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After a roll near the end of day three of qualifying play at the U.S. Open, Lynda Barnes turned
to her left and inched toward her husband, Chris Barnes, who bowled one lane over.

She was looking for advice.

“I’m a sounding board,” Chris said.

Since bowling’s headline event combined the men’s and women’s championships for 2013, dubbed the
“Battle of the Sexes,” it has allowed the couple from Double Oak, Texas, to bowl alongside each
other, a rare opportunity. But beyond the added perk of spending time at one tournament in one city
for the family, having the extra pair of eyes on the lanes can help, too.

“It’s hard when you’re both bowling (simultaneously) because you kind of want to be able to
focus on your own thing,” said Lynda, 45. “I don’t want to distract him with what he’s trying to
do. But I’ll go up and ask a quick question: Does this ball hook more than the other ball, does
this lane hook more? A simple yes/no question so he doesn’t get distracted.”

With three host centers, Columbus Western Bowl, Holiday Lanes and Wayne Webb’s Columbus Bowl,
and all part of three qualifying rounds, those eyes aided especially in practice during the days
before the weeklong tournament. Although an identical oil pattern is applied to each lane, the ages
vary and present various obstacles. Preparation remained vital.

“I think our biggest benefits are in practice, to talk about the strategies going into a block,
what you’re seeing,” said Chris, 43. “Logical progressions might happen throughout a block.”

So far, both are on track to make the cut and advance to match play. Through 24 qualifying-round
games, Chris finished with an average score of 203.58 and pinfall of 4,886. Lynda posted a 195.88
average score with 4,701 pins. Jason Belmonte is the men’s leader with a 231.96 average and Liz
Johnson leads the women at 212.83.

Advancing toward the match play, Chris, who won the PBA Milwaukee Open in June, said he hopes to
“make better shots” in order to play his way back into convention. Familiarity might help.

“That’s part of the challenge: finding what the scoring pace is and making adjustments,” he
said.

Chris sits 45th on the leader board.

The couple traces their roots to bowling. Both began on the college level, Chris at Wichita
State and Lynda at San Jose State. They met at national tournaments, forging a friendship and later
began dating while on Team USA.

With their twin sons, Ryan and Troy, 11, on summer vacation, they also have had the chance to
travel to central Ohio. Already having visited the Columbus Zoo and a local tournament, they still
have plenty left to witness.